Amazon Trumps Customer Service, Affiliate Partner Fails Miserably

Amazon has lived up to its status as a leading e-commerce business in Miss Terry Shopper’s eyes, providing top-rate customer service after an order went missing. Yet, its affiliate partner, MSI, who looks after the fulfilment side was nowhere to be seen.

I’ve always been a fan of Amazon, believing the online retail giant showcases best practice e-commerce standards and second-to-none customer service levels, and the pureplay retailer has shone through yet again, assisting Miss Terry Shopper with a missing item recently.

I was on the look-out for a Christmas gift, an audio CD for a family member who hasn’t quite caught up to modern tech standards just yet. I headed to Amazon straight away, knowing very well the site has extremely competitive prices and a wide selection of products.

Upon discovering that the item in question was available, I placed my order, and then I waited, and waited, and waited. My order was estimated to be delivered on Friday, December 14th, 14 days after the purchase was made. Knowing very well that the item was being shipped out of the US, I added a few days to the delivery date for safe-keeping, but when my order still had not arrived five days after the estimated delivery date, I started to grow impatient. What was even worse, I was sent an email asking me to rate my delivery and packaging experience for recent purchases, including the missing item (see below screenshot).

Amazon’s packaging feedback email.

I headed back to the Amazon website, only to discover there was no tracking information attached to my order as it had shipped outside of the US, according to a customer service assistant that I later spoke with. My next option was to contact the carrier tracking company, MSI, via email.

After three emails, I still received no response from MSI. I headed back to the Amazon website to contact the customer service team, using the Live Chat option.

The below screenshot details the Live Chat conversation between Miss Terry Shopper and Jeff from Amazon. The conversation was extremely professional, and Jeff exceeded my expectations at every instance. The end result, a replacement order that was estimated to be delivered in time for Christmas and a happy customer.

Amazon’s Live Chat customer service option.

Companies must ensure that affiliate companies conduct a similar level of customer service so as not to harm the overall brand reputation. My advice to Jeff was to make sure management knew of MSI’s lack of customer service, as I felt that it jeopardised Amazon’s credibility. He assured me that the incident had been noted.

MSI had not contacted Miss Terry Shopper at the time of publication. Here’s hoping Amazon comes through with the goods and the item is delivered before Christmas.

"The ghost who types" ... Many wonder who Miss Terry Shopper is... Some swear to have seen her in the flesh... others say she's a disturbed man posing behind a keyboard. No matter what you believe, her calling is clear. Miss Terry IS scouring the web 24/7 determined to unveil the good, the bad and the outright bizarre of online retail practices.